Cottage 2, 202 - x8481 Dr. Bresnen holds the faculty rank of Professor and the administrative positions of Music Area Head and Core Assessment Facilitator. He earned the degrees Doctor of Musical Arts, Master of Music, and Bachelor of Music in the fields of music theory and composition at The Ohio State University.

Prior to his arrival at BCCC in 1990, Dr. Bresnen taught both graduate and undergraduate music theory and analysis, counterpoint, composition, aural training, keyboard, and appreciation courses on the faculties of The Ohio State University, Oberlin College Conservatory of Music, Louisiana State University, Interlochen Center for the Arts, Columbus College of Art and Design, and Jefferson Academy of Music.

Dr. Bresnen has taught numerous courses in music theory, music history, and applied piano at Bucks. Throughout his tenure at BCCC, he has participated in diverse activities associated with the college, including serving on the Core Assessment Project Team, AAHE Project Team, Assessment Oversight Committee, and Professional Development Council, acting as Academic Advising Specialist for the Department of the Arts, giving presentations at academic conferences, and being inducted into the membership of Who's Who Among America's Teachers.

Cottage 2, 203 - x8595Dr. Michael Hoffman has worked primarily in the world of jazz, as a guitarist writing for his own groups and, more recently, as a writer of large-ensemble jazz compositions for the New York University Concert Jazz Ensemble, the BMI New York Jazz Orchestra, and the Brooklyn Jazz Composer's Orchestra. He has received a BA in Music Education from C.W. Post College, an MA, and a Ph.D. in Composition from New York University. He has also written for dance and theater as well as for soloists, chamber and percussion ensembles, and has been involved as a Musical Director with the BroadHollow Theater.

Currently working as a free-lance guitarist, composer, arranger, copyist, and music lithographer, Dr. Hoffman has served on the faculties of Kean University, Mercy College, Sacred Heart University, Queensborough Community College, and is currently a full-time faculty member at Bucks County Community College..

Dr. Hoffman has studied composition with Howard Rovics, Pat Castle, Jim McNeely, Manny Albam, and Kenneth Peacock. His compositions have been performed at the conference of the International Association of Jazz Educators and at the Texaco New York Jazz Festival, as well as other important venues, including Merkin Concert Hall, and the Blue Note in New York City.

He is currently a member of IAJE, BMI, the BMI Jazz Composer's Workshop, and the Society of Composers Inc. Some compositions are published by Ensemble Music Publications, and DSM Producers, but much is available directly from the composer. Dr. Hoffman's work in musical analysis and theory has been recently published in the scholarly journal 21st Century Music (formerly 20th Century Music).

Cottage 2, 200 - x8487 Soprano, Shelley Reed, received a Bachelor of Music Degree in Voice Performance and a Bachelor of Arts Degree for the University of Washington in Seattle in 1989. She then went on to receive a Master of Music Degree in Voice Performance from New England Conservatory of Music in Boston in 1991. Since relocating to Bucks County she has appeared as a soloist with Princeton Opera, Piccola Opera of Philadelphia, Amato Opera of New York, Opera North of Vermont, Princeton Pro Musica, Palisades Symphony, Philomel, the Choir of Saint Paul's Church and Chamber Arts Guild.

Solo performances have included Bach's Magnificat, Cantata 161 and Easter Oratorio, Mozart's Requiem, Solemn Vespers and Coronation Mass, Handel's Messiah, Haydn's Lord Nelson Mass, Nicolai Mass and Organ Solo Mass, Beethoven's Mass in C Major and Missa Solemnis, Faure's Requiem, Williams Walton's FaÁade and Ravel's Sheherazade. She was also a guest artist for the Cunningham Music Hour program on the former WFLN radio of Philadelphia. Shelley is the voice faculty member at Bucks as well as the director of both the Concert Choir and Swing Choir director at Bucks County Community College.

BCCC alumnus, Jeff Baumeister received a Bachelor of Music Degree in Jazz Studies Performance from William Paterson University and a Master of Music Degree in Jazz Studies Performance from The University of the Arts. He has studied both classical and jazz piano as well as composition and arranging privately with Dr. Sam Bellardo, Uri Caine, Tom Lawton, Al Stauffer, Jim McNeely and Gary Kirkpatrick. He was a member of the BMI Jazz Composers Workshop under the direction of McNeely and Manny Albam. Jeff was awarded the Eubie Blake Scholarship and the Bernard Peiffer Memorial Piano Award for Excellence, Creativity and Dedication to Jazz Piano. BCCC has recognized him with their 2005-2006 Outstanding Part Time Faculty Award for teaching excellence, achievement and contributions to the college.

Jeff's quartet recording Useful Music has been named Top Ten Best Albums of 2005 by Jazz Views in the United Kingdom and received Publisher's Top Picks for 2005 and Editor's Choice, Best of 2005 - New Discoveries from All About Jazz - USA. The Philadelphia Inquirer writes "the session is a refined study of high-end improvisation, full of quiet but fiery interplay, cerebral and engaging.” Since its release in the summer of 2005, Useful Music continues to receive international attention with airplay and sales throughout Europe and Asia as well as in the USA. It is in the top ten all time downloads at All About Jazz (Italy and USA) and is a regular feature on Taran's Free Jazz Hour in Angers, France, webitalia jazz, and Hot-Bird satellite 13° in all of Europe. To read full reviews of Useful Music visit All About Jazz.

As a regular contributor to DownBeat magazine, Jeff's transcription and analysis essays of solos by Dave Douglas, Uri Caine, Herbie Hancock, Tomasz Stanko, Dave Holland, John Zorn and Bill Evans have been published. Jeff is also music curator of 'The Philadelphia Series' for the Slought Foundation, a non-profit organization based in Philadelphia that broadly encourages new futures for contemporary life through public programs featuring international artists and theorists. Since 2002, Slought Foundation has presented a series of time-based performance practices featuring artists at the forefront of new music, language arts, film, and new media. 'The Philadelphia Series' is a new series of concerts featuring Philadelphia’s rich and diverse jazz community.

Edward Ferdinand

Edward Ferdinand has been hailed for his performances both in the U.S. and in Europe. The Philadelphia Inquirer stated the Mr. Ferdinand possessed an "enormous talent with a brilliant future ahead." The Trenton Times praised his "startling command of the keyboard" and compared his playing with the likes of Cliburn and Rubenstein. Edward Ferdinand began his early piano studies at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where he was accepted on full scholarship, studying under international concert pianist, Jorge Bolet. Mr. Ferdinand made his debut as soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra at the age of fifteen and has since appeared as soloist with numerous other symphonies. He also made his Carnegie Hall debut at the age of seventeen for the Leschetitzky Assc. His performances include those for visiting dignitaries from abroad and from the White House, as well as performances for television and radio. Mr. Ferdinand was awarded First Prize in the Gindhart Piano Competition and was also awarded a full Damrosch scholarship to study at the Fontainebleau School of Music in France under famed pedagogues Nadia Boulanger and Gaby Casadesus. Shortly after, he became a scholarship student of Martin Canin at the Juilliard School of Music in New York, where he holds the Bachelor and Master of Music degrees. During his studies at Juilliard, Mr. Ferdinand received the Metropolitan Music School Award, one of Juilliard's highest honors. He was also featured on the CBS-TV documentary, "Juilliard and Beyond", hosted by Charles Kuralt. In addition to his busy schedule, Mr. Ferdinand finds time to teach on the piano faculties of Bucks County Community College in Newtown, PA and the Westminster Choir College in Princeton, NJ and is listed in the national " Who's Who Among America's Teachers ".

Tom Lawton

Tom Lawton's eclectic and energetic jazz piano style has kept him busy for more than twenty five years as a performing and recording artist, composer and teacher. He is known for his facility with both traditionallyrooted jazz forms and free improvisation.

Tom has played from age seven and studied classical music with Horace Alwyne, Joseph Barone, Judith Willoughby, Robert Durso and Edna Golandsky. His jazz studies were with Gerald Price, Al Stauffer, and Bernard Peiffer.

Tom has been a member of the Jazz Studies faculty at Bucks County Community College since 1984 and at Temple University since 1992. In addition, Tom has given jazz clinics and master classes at Rowan University, University of the Arts, the Painted Bride Art Center, and Bloomsburg University.

In addition to teaching jazz piano, harmony, and improvisation, Tom specializes in teaching the Taubman piano technique to jazz pianists. Tom performs extensively at jazz festivals, concert venues and in clubs. Currently in the Philadelphia area, he appears regularly with Norman David's avant-garde Group Four,jazz vocalist Miss Justine, and Monkadelphia.

May 2004 marked the release of Retrospective / Debut, a double CD set of original compositions and arrangments by Tom Lawton featuring a jazz quintet. His music is published through Yestermorrow Music / BMI.

Ross Mann began studying the guitar at eleven and quickly embraced the entire range of the repertoire, from Baroque transcriptions and the Spanish romantics to South American music and other contemporary styles. Based in Philadelphia and a dynamic soloist and chamber musician, his concert programs often span several centuries and many continents, including both Baroque and Romantic masterworks alongside works in contemporary, popular, and folk genres. An award winning performer, recent honors include the first prize for guitar in the 2001 National Federation of Music Clubs competition and 2002 American String Teachers Association's solo competition.

A graduate of Georgia State University and the Cleveland Institute of Music (MM), Ross has studied with John Sutherland and John Holmquist and has performed in masterclasses for many noteworthy performers, including Paul Galbraith, Sharon Isbin, Angelo Gilardino, Christopher Parkening and Eduardo Fernandez. Recent recital appearances include concerts in the Plaza at Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, the August Art 2002 festival in New York City, Concerts by Candlelight in Cape May, NJ as well as programs for the Philadelphia Classical Guitar Society, Mansfield University and the University of Texas - Pan American.

In addition to participating in many new music programs and appearing in several world premiere performances, he has also performed the works of and studied with several notable contemporary composers, including Samuel Adler and Roland Dyens and is committed to both exploring and exposing both new and rarely performed literature. A faculty member with Bucks County College, Temple University's Preparatory Department and Settlement Music School, both in Philadelphia, PA, and an assistant director of the Philadelphia Classical Guitar Society Orchestra, Ross maintains a teaching studio for students of all ages and backgrounds in addition to his performance schedule.

Mark Pultorak

Based in New York city, Mark Pultorak is an active educator in both the New York and Philadelphia regions serving on the faculties of Bucks County Community College and Mercer County (NJ) Community College.

A graduate of The College of New Jersey (BM) and New York University (MM), Mr. Pultorak is an accomplished musician whose talents on drums, percussion and mallet instruments span virtually every musical idiom. In addition to offering percussion students private instruction and serves as the director of the BCCC percussion ensemble as well teaching Introduction to Music.

In addition, he also maintains an active performance schedule with diverse groups such as the New York Pops Orchestra, Titanic (Broadway show), The Supremes (US and European tours), Lionel Hampton, Richie Cole, Cecil Payne, Ralph Bowen, Clifford Adams, Don Friedman, Charles Farmborough, James Williams and appearances at the Bethlehem Music Festival, Trenton Jazz Festival and New Jersey Jazz Society.